Improvement in thread-cutters for sewing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.-

JOSEPH A. LORD, OF SANFORD, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN THREAD-CUTTERS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 118,467, dated August 29, 1871.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. LORD, of Sanford, in the county ot' York and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Loop-Cutter 5 and I hereby declare the following' to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical lateral section.

My invention has reference to a device to be attached to sewing-machines, by means of which the thread may be cut, when the work is to be removed from the machine, more quickly and with more precision than by thel use or scissors or a knife. It is now customary to make a movement of the hand to take up the knife or scissors; another to lay them down; and care must be used and time spent in order to cut the thread at the proper point and without injury to the work. To save the time thus spent andrender care unnecessary in cutting` the thread is the purpose of my invention. This inconvenience is especially experienced in operating the McKay and such machines, designed for sewing boots and shoes, and it is to these in particular that I contemplate applying the device of which the following is a description:

a shows the face-plate of the sewing-machine. To this is secured, by means of a plate, b, or some equivalent device, the met-al piece c, the general form ot' which is seen in Fig. 1. dis the needlerod of the machine; e is the needle 3 and f, the end or point of the horn. The lower part of the piece c terminates between the point of the horn and the point of the needle when elevated. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of the left-hand portions of the piece c. g is a rod sliding in the circular aperture in the lower part of the piece c. This hole is enlarged above to receive the coil spring e', which surrounds the rod g. The upper end of the rod is provided with a screw, lo, which enters a female screw in the handle l, the shank of which is of such dimensions as to t and move freely in the enlarged aperture containing thewire coil. The tendency of the spring being to elevate the lower end of the rod, holes are made in the rod to receive the pin m, which, coming in contact with the shoulder u, retains the rod in the proper position. The lower end of the rod terminates in the knife o, which slides upon the plate p.

The operation of the device must be obvious. Thehandle is struck by the palm oi' the hand and theV knife driven against the thread, which is thus severed, the knife, upon removal of the hand, immediately returning to its former position. The knife can be easily removed for sharpening by unscrewin g the handle from the rod g,- and as it is worn away the pin m can be inserted in a higher hole and the desired length of stroke maintained by screwing out the handle.

I do not claim the device shown and claimed in Letters Patent No. 16,713, granted to Joseph W. Burnham, March 3,1857, which consists of a padded rod, a coiled spring in the stock, a bellcrank, movable arm, and somewhat complicated arrangement of the cutter, and is inapplicable to the machine for which mine is designed, besides being wholly different in construction and operation. I would also disclaim the thread-cu tting device shown in Letters Patent of William T. Barnes, No. 20,688, which is not only different in construction but also inapplicable to the class of machines for which my device is designed, being applied directly to the bottom oi' the faceplate, and at the same time having a horizontal line of motion.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s-

The combination of the piece c, constructed as described, and having the plate b, spring coil c', the handle or pad l, and the rod g having the knife o7 and the extensible devices, consisting of the screw k and the pin m, applie/dand operated as herein set forth.

Portland, May 27, 1871.

JOSEPH A. LORD.

Witnesses:

WM. HENRY CLIFFORD GEORGE E. BIRD. 

